When Everything Changes
by CrazyforMalfoy
Summary: What happens when Harry Potter,the Boy-Who-Lived, decides to help Slytherins who don't want to follow Voldemort? All hell breaks loose, that's what! Ron-bashing, Severus mentor fic
1. Chapter 1

It was a normal Tuesday evening. The Great Hall was filled with the usual dim of noise as everyone ate and talked to their friends. Suddenly, the doors opened with a bang and everyone turned to see one livid Ron Weasley enter the Great Hall. Behind him came Harry Potter, visibly upset.

"Ron, please, just listen." The red-head whirled to face him. The Great Hall was silent as they watched. None of them had ever seen Ron this angry and most were glad it wasn't directed at them.

"No!" Ron shouted, his chest heaving. He took a deep breath. "Harry, what you did, what you're doing, is inexcusable!"

"Ron." Harry's voice was softer but some of the students wondered if that wasn't worse. Harry had a tendency to get quiet, right before he blew. "I'm helping people. How did that become a crime?" Ron's eyes narrowed.

"It's who you're helping, Harry," he hissed. "Slytherins are cruel, heartless bastards. They don't deserve anyone's help." Some students gasped. Was the Boy-Who-Lived actually helping the Slytherins?"

"They're also people," Harry retorted, "caught up in a war they didn't want or ask for. Just like us."

"They're not like us!" Ron shouted. "Every single one of them is evil. They'll pull you in and then they'll kill you!" Harry stared at him for a long moment.

"Don't talk about things you know nothing about," he said softly. Then he turned and began walking towards the doors.

"Harry…" Harry spun to face him.

"Stop it," he hissed. The windows shattered and the lights flickered. "You grew up with parents who loved you. You had a real family. You don't know what it's like growing up, abused. Feeling unwanted and unloved. Becoming a pawn." He paused. "I know what that's like and that's why I'm helping them. Nothing you say will stop me." Ron was speechless. Harry turned on his heel, repairing the windows as he left. The Great Hall was completely silent for a moment. Then all hell broke loose. With all the noise, no one noticed Draco Malfoy or Severus Snape slip out.

Harry stormed down to the lake, his thoughts a jumble mess. He couldn't understand why Ron would react the way he did, yet he could relate to it, considering Ron's history with certain Slytherins. But did he have to question what Harry was doing? Harry was now seventeen, almost done with Hogwarts, and he was tired of having everyone else make the decisions for him.

There were a ton of people that could help out those who needed it on the light side. Plus, every time he tried to help, he just got in the way. For the most part, the Order members still treated him like he was twelve or thirteen, not a seventeen year old young adult. It aggravated him to no end.

At least with the Slytherins, they were willing to let him help them. They trusted him enough to let him make the decisions and then follow through with it. Before the department of mysteries disaster two years ago, he never would have thought he'd be where he was today, helping Draco Malfoy and his friends. He never would have thought he'd be able to consider Severus Snape a close friend and mentor. But what happened that night, when it was proven that Voldemort was indeed back, had changed everything…

_Harry sighed as he put down the picture he was holding of his Godfather, Sirius Black. It'd been about a month but Harry was no closer to accepting Sirius's death then he'd been when it happened. He could still see Bellatrix aim her wand, still see Sirius fall through the veil, still hear the screams that he later realized had been his own. Blinking back the tears, Harry got out of bed and dragged himself downstairs to make breakfast for his 'relatives'._

_They'd found out shortly after he arrived home about Sirius's death, so he could no longer hold that threat over their heads. Not that it mattered anymore. Nothing did. Sometimes, when his uncle beat him, he wished he wouldn't stop. That he would just finish the job and be done with it. Vernon almost had a few nights earlier. He was getting frustrated with Harry's lack of emotion during the beating and had gone non-stop for 45 minutes. Harry was barely breathing when Petunia finally stopped her husband, worried about what would happen to them if they killed the boy._

_Walking into the kitchen, Harry soon had the bacon and eggs frying. By the time Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley made it downstairs, breakfast was ready. Vernon must have been feeling especially generous that morning, because he allowed Harry to have a full piece of bacon before kicking him outside to work in the garden._

_It was around noon when Harry was finally finished weeding the garden. The sun beat on his back as he headed inside, wiping the sweat off his brow. Taking a quick peek, making sure his aunt didn't see him, Harry dashed upstairs to his room and shut the door. He knew there'd be more chores but he really needed a break, if only for a few minutes._

_Looking around, he froze. On his bed was a strange owl he'd never seen before. Slowly edging across the room, Harry took the letter from the bird's leg and opened it._

_**Potter,**_

_**I know it must be strange hearing from me but I have something I need to discuss with you. Meet me tomorrow night, midnight, at Kings Cross Station.**_

_**Malfoy**_

_All Harry could do for a long moment was stare at the piece of parchment. Malfoy had actually written him? And he wanted to meet? Harry waited to feet fear about what Malfoy would do once he got Harry alone, but all he felt was curiosity…and excitement. Hiding the letter under his pillow, Harry fed the owl and watched it fly out his window. Then he set about doing the rest of his chores._

Sighing, Harry sat on a boulder and just stared out at the lake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I forgot when I was writing this chapter, that in the last one Harry was seventeen and almost done with Hogwarts. I really like how I did this chapter, so I hope you won't mind the change in which Harry is sixteen and looking for the Horcruxes. Also, a big thanks for everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you liked the story.**

Harry didn't know how long he sat there, just staring at nothing, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up to see Draco and Severus standing there. Neither one said anything, which Harry appreciated. He didn't need words of comfort or someone telling him everything would be okay. They were just empty words anyway. Sighing, he turned back to the lake. He heard Draco sit down next to him, on another boulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Severus doing the same, only he sat on a chair he had conjured. For a while no one said anything.

"Nice night tonight," Draco commented, finally breaking the silence. Harry shrugged. Draco sighed. "Harry…" he began and then stopped. Harry knew why. Not only did Draco not really know what to say, but he was most likely worried about how Harry would react to whatever he'd say. Lately, Harry had been unpredictable and he knew that. Something someone said could make him smile or the exact same thing could make him blow. Harry wasn't sure why but he had a feeling it was from all the stress he was feeling lately.

He was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, whether he liked it or not, which meant he had an obligation to save the world. Plus, there was that prophecy, which Dumbledore had told him about the previous year, not to mention the death of his Godfather.

"What do you know about horcruxes?" he asked Severus suddenly. The potions professor turned to him, blinking slowly.

"A horcrux is an object, any object, that a person can use to store a piece of their soul," he replied, raising an eyebrow. Harry nodded. He already knew that much, considering the memory he had just seen the previous week. The memory was of a conversation between Slughorn, the new potions professor, and Tom Riddle during Tom's school years.

"But how do you destroy them?" he pressed. Severus looked puzzled.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked. Harry sighed and stood up, turning away from them. When he turned back, the other two had stood as well and were watching him worriedly. Harry took a deep breath.

"Did you know Voldemort split his soul?" Now Severus was confused. In all the time he'd been a deatheater, Voldemort had never once mentioned having split his soul, though that would explain how his appearance was so deformed.

"No," he finally replied. "He never mentioned it." He looked at Harry closely. "You have to destroy it?"

"Them," Harry said softly. "I have to destroy them."

"Harry," Draco said slowly. "How many horcruxes are there?" Harry hesitated. "Harry?"

"Seven," he finally replied. "There are seven horcruxes."

"What are they?" Severus asked. Harry sighed.

"One of them was the diary from second year, when I defeated the basilisk."

"So that leaves six," Draco said. "Do you know what the other ones are?"

"One is a ring, which has practically destroyed Dumbledore's hand. We aren't exactly sure how to destroy it yet, which is why I was asking you." He looked at Severus.

"I'm not sure," Severus admitted. "I don't know much about Horcruxes but I do know that each one will be very difficult to destroy." Harry let out a huff of frustration.

"Dumbledore wants me to accompany him to where he thinks another one is," he told them. Neither one bothered to tell him how dangerous it was, or how foolish. They already knew that would just make Harry angry, not to mention the fact that he'd go anyways. Harry lowered his eyes. "I haven't told Dumbledore this," he said, so softly they had to strain to hear his words. "I think one of the Horcruxes is me."

_Harry sat in a corner of Platform 9 ¾, his invisibility cloak hiding him, as he waited. It was exactly midnight when a tall blonde walked through the barrier. Draco Malfoy seemed to hesitate as he looked around, checking his watch as he did so. Harry waited another minute and then he slowly removed the invisibility cloak. Draco never even blinked as Harry seemed to materialize out of nowhere._

_"Malfoy," Harry greeted._

_"Potter." They were both silent, just studying each other._

_"So what did you want to talk about?" Harry asked, a little impatient. It'd been another tiring day of chores and all he wanted to do was go to bed, though he knew he'd wake up a few hours later with nightmares._

_"Is he really back, Potter?" Harry was startled by the question and by the tone in the blonde's voice. Draco Malfoy was definitely scared of the answer. Harry sighed and sat down again._

_"Yes," he replied. "He has been back since the end of fourth year." And he had the scar to prove it. Draco sat down as well. "Is that what you wanted to discuss?" Harry asked. "Voldemort's return?" Draco flinched at the name but nodded._

_"Yes." He paused. "My…my father keeps talking about wanting me to get the Dark Mark." He looked down and started kicking at the ground. "I don't want to get the stupid mark," he muttered. "I've seen the way my dad acts about the Dark Lord. I don't want the rest of my life to be like that, scared shitless and groveling, just so he won't crucio me." He fell silent. Harry was quiet as well, as a plan began to take shape in his mind._

Harry slowly dragged himself up the stairs to the sixth years boys dormitory, ignoring Ron as he climbed into bed, fully clothed. He was exhausted so it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.


End file.
